


The Great Pumpkin

by Cowboysandcannolis



Category: Red Dead Redemption (Video Games)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Micah is a show off, You’re a good aunt, giant pumpkin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-21
Updated: 2019-09-21
Packaged: 2020-10-25 10:58:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,319
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20723099
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cowboysandcannolis/pseuds/Cowboysandcannolis
Summary: Micah Bell meets his match. A massive pumpkin.





	The Great Pumpkin

Fall was a favorite time of the year for you, it was finally cooling down, the leaves were changing to beautiful variations of gold, orange and crimson...What more could you ask for?  
You sipped your coffee idaly, looking out on the mist that covered the expanse below Horseshoe Overlook, the camp was still quiet but you could pick out Jack’s voice somewhere behind you in camp.  
“But mama...”  
“Jack, ain’t nobody got the extra money for that right now.” Abigail scolded her son  
“Maybe some year I’ll get you one but not this year.”  
“But Sean said that if I could get one he would show me how to make a....How to make a face into it.”  
You recall last year Sean going on about some old Irish tradition of carving faces into pumpkins and turnips. How he complained when he was forbidden from displaying one in camp. It sounded like a bit of a waste to you but if Jack really wanted to do so it was your duty as his aunt to try and help, right?  
You turned around, dumping the last few gritty sips of your coffee on the grass as you approached the mother and son  
“Abby, Id be more than happy to help. I’ll buy Jack a pumpkin. If you’ll allow it I’ll take him into town and let him pick it out.”  
You had seen a few sitting on the steps of the general store. Let Jack pick out one and bring it back to camp. Easy.  
“Can I mama?!” The little boy was grinning so brightly. Frankly, if Abigail said no you would probably buy one for him anyway. You loved to see him smile.  
“Well...” Abigail frowned initially but Jack’s enthusiasm seemed to sway her.  
“If you’re careful, Y/N. Real careful.”  
“I will be, Abigail. I promise. You ready to go right now, Jack?”  
“Mhm!”  
“Well then...” You kept your demeanor and stance calm and collected.  
“Race you to the horses!”  
Of course you let Jack win the race, the two of you giggling as you heard Grimshaw squawking behind you. But you were up on your horse and heading out before she could give you a good scolding.  
You kept the ride to Valentine slow, careful not to jostle Jack too much, talking with him about things that he enjoyed. About how Arthur had brought him a new toy, how Hosea had read him a really interesting story about a prince.. Things of that nature.  
You weren’t paying very much attention to the road in front of you and you jumped when a jet black horse started out in front of you, blocking your way.  
Micah sat atop Baylock, grinning from ear to ear. He had been away on a job for about three days now, you missed that bastard.  
“Well, what do we have here? My woman and little Jack. Where you two goin’?”  
“Well, I’m taking Jack into town to get somethin, I’ll catch up with you later at camp...Glad your back home in one piece, Micah.”  
Micah hummed as he positioned Baylock beside your horse, leaning over to steal a kiss, you felt Jack stiffen so you cut it off early.  
“Alright, well I’ll-“  
“No, no. I’ll come with ya. In case you need me.” His voice got that sickly sweet tone and you had to roll your eyes at this asshole that you called your significant other.  
“Fine...Hey, Jack?”  
“Yes, Aunt Y/N?”  
“You think we can beat Micah to town?”  
That got his smile back. You gripped the boy tightly to you so that he wouldn’t fall off and spurred your horse forward, Micah cursing you as he was left in the dust but not for much longer.  
You arrived in Valentine about neck and neck. Your horse was fast by breed but Baylock had heart. You would make sure they both got rewarded with an apple.  
You hitched up in front of the General store, setting Jack down on the steps.  
“So what is it we’re here to get?” Micah drawled as he boxed you against your horse predatorily, to which you rolled your eyes, slipping under his arm to follow Jack.  
“A pumpkin. Sean’s going to teach him how to...Do something with it.” You shrugged idaly, you couldn’t help a little giggle as you saw Micah’s reaction. He was not impressed.  
“A pumpkin? You rode all the way to town to get the boy a pumpkin?”  
“Yep.” You answered.  
Jack was already examining a few. Some were small enough to fit in his arms, a few others had some more heft. Any of these you were pretty sure you could get back to camp easily enough. Worst came to worst you would make Micah take the pumpkin. And you would make him swear not to drop it on ‘accident’.  
The storekeeper peered out at your merry trio from behind the open door  
“Morning folks, you lookin’ for pumpkins?”  
“Yes, for my son.” You lied through your teeth easily enough.  
“Well, then you ought to see this one that I have in the storeroom. We barely could get it off the damn wagon, much less get it out on the porch.”  
“No thank you, we’re alri-“  
“Let’s see it.” Micah drawled. Here we go again...Micah had to have the biggest and best of everything, he would be damed if he didn’t. You could only hope the store owner was exaggerating.  
Well, he wasn’t. As you followed him into the store room you mentally cursed the store owner for getting involved. That pumpkin was bigger than the stew pot at camp and probably wasn’t too much smaller than a wagon wheel.  
“Darling...” Your voice was sweet enough as you looked to Micah but your eyes were burning with hell fire. “I don’t think this is necessary.”  
“Well of course it is, dear. Only the best for my wife and boy. Go out front and pay and I’ll take care of this.”  
You hated that man. So much.  
But you obeyed, paying with Jack and bringing him out to your horse.  
“Now, Jack. If that ain’t the one you want I’ll get you a smaller one. Micah is just being..” An ass.  
“No, that’s okay, Aunt Y/N! Sean will show me how to make a really big face in that one!”  
You sat on your horse, awaiting Micah for about five minutes. What the hell was going on?  
Come to find out there he was in the storeroom, squatting down and doing his best to try and lift the massive fruit, or maybe it was a vegetable, cussing away.  
You were a bit surprised, as Micah was very strong, no denying that. He could lift you over his head with ease and you had seen him toting carcasses that must have had a hundred pounds on you. And he was bested by a pumpkin.  
“Micah. Buy a smaller pumpkin.” You said sternly, leaning against the doorframe.  
“Never.” He growled.  
It took a wagon and Bill, that you had retrieved on your own, don’t think Micah asked for help, to get that damn pumpkin back to camp. It took a very happy Jack and Sean maybe three hours to scoop out all those guts and get to carving. Once it was finished it was quite a sight, lit by a candle that Charles had provided. With the guts you made a pie, cooking it in a cast iron press on some coals. It was a little well done but no one seemed to complain. As this was a very rare occasion indeed.  
That night Micah stayed in the tent you shared, nursing his thrown out back and his pride. He was a right idiot. But he was your idiot. You brought him a slice of the pie to toast to the pumpkin that had defeated the great Micah Bell.

**Author's Note:**

> It’s officially fall here, Cowpokes! I figured I would try my hand at something festive! I love being able to add some historic elements to my fics, like how the Irish brought jack o lanterns and pumpkin carving with them to the United States.


End file.
